Chapter 25: Vanished Without a Trace

…Sure enough, he still couldn’t call the police. He absolutely couldn’t explain his own situation. Once the police got involved and started investigating Tanaka’s disappearance and his wife’s death, all suspicion would point directly at him.

Unless a detective who could foresee everything got involved in the case and could prove his innocence, his situation would be like having dirty water splashed on him—impossible to wash clean. Fang Jing thought it over from every angle and felt he still couldn’t pin his hopes on the possible appearance of a “modern Sherlock Holmes.”

The real culprit, Tanaka, was missing, and Mrs. Tanaka had been partially dismembered, her internal organs removed and thrown in the bathtub. This was clearly a serious murder case, and the police would definitely launch a major investigation. On the other hand, he couldn’t explain why he was here so late at night… Was he supposed to say this apartment was haunted?

Thinking carefully about the details, even he found it too bizarre. Telling the truth would be hard to make believable. If he made up a lie to try and get through it, the police weren’t stupid; they would definitely realize something was wrong.

“The only way is to clear away any traces of me in the room and then pretend I know nothing about what happened tonight.”

This was the best plan: to act like he knew nothing at all.

Fang Jing sighed. He couldn’t think of any better solution.

He first carried his sister Satsuki and took her back home. For some reason, Satsuki seemed to be sleeping very deeply. Her breathing and pulse were fine. To test her, Fang Jing even lifted her eyelids to check her pupils.

“She really is asleep.”

This situation wasn’t normal. After what happened, how could she possibly know nothing? But judging by her expression, it didn’t seem like she was lying.

Moreover, Fang Jing also noticed that this rainy late night was a bit too quiet. The fifth floor of the Ichinose Apartment seemed to have only him and Tanaka’s household left; everyone else seemed to have vanished at this point in time.

Or perhaps, he was isolated in an abnormal space. Right now, the whole world was silent except for the continuous sound of rain.

Speaking of which… there was one more thing he was a bit concerned about. When Tanaka disappeared, some data suddenly changed strangely too.

The previous series of events had been too intense, so he hadn’t had time to observe it. Now, looking carefully, he was clearly startled.

Below the frame for the Myriad Transformations Fate Grade, there was now a cluster of Fate Fragments. It was a grayish-white cluster of Fate Fragments.

“A Miscellaneous Fate? After I defeated Tanaka, why did this kind of Miscellaneous Fate Fragment appear?”

In the game “Peerless Fate,” defeating enemies could also yield Miscellaneous Fate Fragments. By collecting these fragments, just like collecting “gold coins” in a game, they had a certain value and could be exchanged for various items.

“I remember needing to collect one hundred Miscellaneous Fate Fragments to equal one Copper Fate Grade. This is the lowest quality Fate Fragment, pitifully low in value…”

Could it be that in this world, defeating “enemies” also caused them to drop Fate Fragments? He found it more and more bizarre.

“Better not think about this anymore. It’s 3:20 AM now…”

Fang Jing returned to Tanaka’s home. He was considering how to deal with the aftermath.

(Should I first clear up the mess in the room to avoid any clues related to me? I didn’t touch the murder weapon, so no worry there, but the signs of the struggle are hard to cover up…)

While he was thinking this, he heard a sound that shouldn’t be there.

Hee hee! Hee hee! Outside the door, came the sound of a child running in the hallway.

(Damn it! It’s not happening again, is it?!)

A chill ran down Fang Jing’s spine, but he quickly calmed himself down.

…The more panicked you are, the easier it is to make wrong judgments.

A normal person encountering this situation would be even more flustered than him. But having gone through so many complicated states, he could barely maintain his composure in the face of danger.

He straightened up, leaned against the door, and peered sideways in the direction of the sound. It came from the direction of Tanaka’s main door. Through a crack in the door, he saw a flash of red clothing.

“Who’s there?”

He asked in a low voice. The next instant, the red clothing fluttered away.

Fang Jing sprinted three steps to the main door. He pulled it open and saw a red shadow fluttering like a butterfly, moving quickly toward the stairs.

Was the other party a “ghost” or a “human”?

Never mind! Whatever monster or ghost you are! This time, I’m going to get to the bottom of it.

He steadied his breath, picked up his Bamboo Sword, and strode after it.

After being tormented all night, Fang Jing was completely filled with pent-up anger. He had no intention of holding back anymore. Gripping the Bamboo Sword, he chased all the way down. When he rushed to the ground floor, he suddenly saw a little girl in red. She was wearing a red yukata, standing deep within the curtain of rain.

She hung her head, a strange smile curling at the corner of her mouth.

“You… what kind of ghostly thing are you?”

Fang Jing also stopped and cautiously surveyed his surroundings.

The apartment courtyard was empty, just as deserted as usual.

Facing Fang Jing’s question, the little girl in red didn’t say a word. She just stretched out a slender hand and pointed towards a corner of the Ichinose Apartment yard.

Only then did Fang Jing notice: there was a withered cherry blossom tree there, and beneath the tree, a shovel had appeared at some point, stuck straight into the ground.

“Are you… trying to tell me something?”

Fang Jing couldn’t help but suspect the other party was trying to communicate with him.

He shifted his gaze to the spot under the withered cherry blossom tree where the iron shovel was placed.

Could it be… there was something under the tree?

Fang Jing couldn’t help but wonder. But when he turned his head back, the little girl had vanished in an instant, like a passing shadow.

“…Playing tricks again?”

He muttered to himself and didn’t pay any more attention to it. Right now, dealing with the situation in room 406 was the most important thing.

But when he returned to room 406, where the Tanaka family lived, an even more bizarre thing happened again—the corpse of Mrs. Tanaka, which had been in the bathroom, was gone… Even the blood and internal organs in the bathtub had disappeared. The bathroom was clean and tidy, without a single extra stain of blood.

“This… this is impossible!”

Fang Jing couldn’t believe it. He started inspecting the home, searching everywhere inside and out, but he couldn’t find anything.

…The body had just vanished.

————————

After struggling through the night, Fang Jing finally had a chance to rest. He lay on the bed, not wanting to move at all.

When his mother came back, she was very surprised to find he hadn’t gone to school.

“I have a bit of a cold. I plan to rest today.”

He briefly explained to his mother Motoko. This was also in line with how Nishizuka Tsukasa usually communicated with his family; he was always a man of few words.

Although Motoko found it strange, she was still concerned about her son.

Fang Jing brushed her off casually and sent her away.

His body was naturally fine; the physical enhancement wasn’t fake. But he was clearly distracted now. Yesterday’s experiences made his state of mind increasingly complex, with all sorts of thoughts lingering in his heart.